Lenoir County Youth Development Center may close

Thursday

Jun 6, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 6, 2013 at 10:46 PM

The Lenoir County Youth Development Center, a state-of-the-art facility that rehabilitates at-risk juveniles, is on the state Senate budget proposal’s chopping block. Cutting the center will impact jobs in Lenoir County.

Margaret Fisher, Staff Writer

The $20.6 billion state Senate budget proposal for 2013-2014 includes the closing of the Lenoir County Youth Development Center in Kinston, as well as two juvenile detention centers in Buncombe and Richmond counties.

The measure will eliminate nearly $100 and save more than $5 million, according to the proposal.

An estimated 24 full-time positions stand to be eliminated, and the center’s operating budget would be reduced, according to the proposal.

Gov. Pat McCrory’s budget, which is separate from the Senate budget, doesn’t include closing the Dobbs Youth Development Center across Dobbs Farm Road from Lenoir YDC.

“We support the Governor’s budget, which did not include closing the Lenoir facility,” Pamela Walker, director of the N.C. Department of Public Safety, wrote in an email.

The center, built in 2008, is a long-term, secure facility that rehabilitates at-risk juveniles. It is configured for small group, intensive staff-to-student teaching interactions. This would be the fourth YDC to be eliminated since 2011.

The kitchen in the Lenoir Complex provides meals for the entire campus, including Dobbs Youth Development Center across the street, Walker stated in the email. The Dobbs Center, the older of the two centers, is not included in the budget proposal.

N.C. Rep. George Graham, D-Lenoir, said he has looked at the situation and will attempt to keep the center open, but there is competition from other counties for detention centers and jails to remain open and “so many variables.”

“I’ve been monitoring the situation,” Graham said, “with a great deal of interest in keeping the facility open in our county.”

Graham, who served as institutional director at Dobbs for 13 years, said he believes the closing of the Lenoir YDC will create issues with capacity and staffing across the state.

The House will begin to look at the Senate proposal the beginning of next week, he said.

Lenoir County Commissioner Linda Rouse Sutton said there is much disagreement about the proposal in Raleigh, but she doesn’t believe the General Assembly will be finished by the end of June.

“I think, in the House version,” she said, “it stands a better chance of not getting cut.”

Sutton, a former employee training coordinator at Dobbs, said both facilities, Dobbs and Lenoir, operate basically under the same roof, utilizing one gymnasium and cafeteria.

She said costs will be involved if the proposal passes the House.

“They’re going to have to totally renovate the old building,” Sutton said. “It just makes no sense.”

Besides job losses, she said there will be an economic impact to grocery stores, daycares and other establishments.

N.C. Sen. Don Davis, D-Lenoir, said he has concerns about the impact to at-risk youth and the loss of jobs, as well as “decommissioning” the newer building.

He said the reason the newer facility is proposed to be cut, versus the older one, is because it requires more staffing.

“Actually, the newer building is better designed,” he said.

Joe Tyson, Kinston mayor pro tem, said he taught an ROTC program at Dobbs before the state eliminated the vocational courses some years back.

“I know we will lose quite a number of jobs,” he said. “So it’s going to have a major impact. … I’m also concerned about the impact it will have on the kids.”

Tyson, who has worked with youth for about 20 years, said he believes the biggest impact will be on low-wage employees such as maintenance workers and cafeteria staff.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

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